Let Us Fall Into the Hand of the Lord

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SEE IT // BE IT

(WEEKLY COMMUNITY GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE)

Title:  Rise and Reign: “Let us fall into the Hand of the Lord” //

Scripture: 2 Samuel 24

ARRIVAL / SOCIAL TIME 15-20 minutes Spend the first 15 minutes or so of your time together catching up and socializing with one another. Also find time to catch up together on how the assignments from last week turned out.

SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes

This week we concluded our journey through I and II Samuel. This has been a journey through the rise and reign of David. And while the main character of this journey has been David, the subject has been God. In these two books (really one book with two volumes), we have learned a lot about God—who He is, what He values and what He desires. We’ve watched God interact with characters like David, Samuel and Saul and in the end we, through their lives, have learned lots about our own lives and relationship with God. This week, we finished this journey by looking at a mysterious passage in II Samuel 24. Here God’s anger burned against Israel because of a census that David had taken across the land. As a king, David begins depending on his own strength, might and mastery. This kind of mastery mindset threatens to keep David from radical dependence on God. Thankfully, in David’s repentance, he learns to engage the divine mystery rather than lean on his own mastery. As he does, he finds that true security comes not from the things he can count but in the one he can count on. And this is really what the entire story of I and II Samuel is really all about. It’s about trusting God with all that we have, instead of trusting in what we have—a lesson that all of us need to hear as we move toward this Christmas season. In David’s words, “Let us fall into the hand of the Lord.”

THE MAIN THOUGHT keep this in mind as you facilitate discussion.

Release human mastery to engage divine mystery

SEE IT – Questions 10-15 minutes

Picture (What is the story saying?): What stood out to you most from Jon’s sermon this week? Why? How do you reconcile the anger and mercy of God? Does the anger of God disturb you or challenge your thinking about God? Why or why not? What did David learn about God in this story? How did counting the people turn them into numbers instead of names? What inherent danger does this create? What was God’s response? How does David respond to God’s judgment?

Mirror (Where am I in the story?): Where do you tend to rely on your own might and mastery? What do you tend to count in order to find your own security in life? Your bank account? Your retirement fund? The people who work for you? How can these things lead to a false sense of security in your life? How have you tried to manage and manipulate these things in order to expand your own kingdom rather than God’s kingdom? Where have you seen this kind of posture lead to misusing those things?

Window (How does the story change how I see those around me?): What does it look like to truly trust God? How does this change the things you are counting? How might you move from counting your things to making your things count? Where might you need to lean into divine mystery instead of your own mastery in order to live this way?

BE IT – Practice

At Grace each week we use the ideas of Worship, Word, and Wonder to guide our Sunday morning experiences. This week we want you to use these ideas to guide you in your community experience.

Change UP // Mystery Moments 15 minutes

Part of engaging divine mystery is learning to ask questions. This week’s passage had many disturbing elements in it. It challenged us to live in the paradox of God’s anger and mercy. Invite your group this week to bring their questions about God to God. What are some things about God that are hard for you to understand or reconcile? List these questions as a group as you engage the divine mystery together.

Change IN // Member Meal 5 minutes

Take a few moments this week to talk about what being a member of a church looks like. Encourage your group to sit together at the member meal on Wednesday. For those who might not be members, talk about why membership in a church might be important.

Change OUT // Make it Count 5 minutes

This week Jon encouraged us not to find our security in the things we can count—instead, we should make what we have count for others. David refused to offer to God that which cost him nothing. Encourage your group to identify one place each one of them could give sacrificially this Christmas season to make their possessions count. Name these places and gifts out loud as a group.

CLOSING PRAYER 5 minutes

Take a few minutes to gather any prayer requests and pray for each other to SEE IT and BE IT this week.